China’s far west to ban movie shoots in scenic spots

China’s remote far western region of Xinjiang, where part of Oscar-winning “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” was filmed, is to ban movie shoots at scenic spots for fear of damage to the environment, state media said on Thursday.

That movie, along with “Hero” by Chinese director Zhang Yimou, was filmed without permission in Xinjiang, the Beijing News said, citing a report in the Urumqi Evening News, though it did not say if the film crews had harmed the environment.

“If the environment is seriously damaged and not returned to its natural state in time, legal and economic measures will be taken against those responsible,” the newspaper said, citing regulations from the local government.

This follows on yesterday’s news that makers of the epic martial arts film “the Promise” were being fined for damage the film crew did to Bigu Lake in Yunnan Province (see post below).